Early Bird: Abolition of real estate tax. Celebrities take a break from social networks. The latest from Apple

Abolition of real estate tax

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The 4% real estate tax has been abolished. 91 out of 93 deputies supported the bill, which has been passed on to President Miloš Zeman for signature. The new law includes an amendment of the Senate, which continues to permit the possibility of tax deductions from interest on mortgages, in the maximum amount of 150 thousand crowns. The current limit of interest deductions of CZK 300,000 will still apply to loans provided until the end of this year.

The government's original proposal stipulated that it would not be possible to deduct interest paid from the income tax base for loans and mortgages arranged after 1 January 2022. However, a number of opposition deputies disaggreed with that and opposed the move. Now they have a reason to celebrate.

"Our efforts have paid off. After several years of fighting the opposition for the abolition of real estate tax, we have finally won. With the prices of apartments being what they are, people had to send a lot of money to the state. Now they'll get to keep the money and they'll be able to use it to partially furnish the apartment, for instance,"

ODS chairman Petr Fiala posted on his Twitter account.

Bill Gates' father died

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William Henry Gates II, the father of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, died at the respectable age of 94. Gates Sr. was a military veteran and a founding partner of a law firm in Seattle. He also served as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"We have all had a long time to reflect on just how lucky we are to have had this amazing man in our lives for so many years,"

wrote Bill Gates on his official blog.

Apple introduced a new iPad and Apple Watch

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The world may have to wait a while longer for the new iPhone, but Apple introduced two hot new products yesterday, the first being the new Apple Watch, which is the sixth in the row. Apple Watch Series 6 comes with blood oxygen monitoring, automatic handwash detection, home exercise or sleep monitoring. The price of the watch starts at $ 399, which is about 9,000 CZK. Apple also introduced a cheaper version of the Apple Watch SE with limited features, where functions such as blood oxygen monitoring are missing.

The 8th generation iPad contains everything that Apple promised. An all-day battery, faster graphics and processing, a better camera or the A12 bionic chip, which, according to Apple, is "more powerful than ever". The device has a 10.2-inch display and comes with new iPadOS 14 features. Also new is the iPad Air equipped with a larger 10.9-inch screen, a smaller Touch ID sensor for unlocking with a fingerprint and a new A14 chip. The tablet will be available in five colors (black, white, pink, blue and green) and starts at $ 599, which is about CZK 13,500.

European Mobility Week starts in Prague

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As per tradition in the period from 16 to 22 September, the European Mobility Week will take place again this year, connecting cities across Europe. The campaign has been run by the European Commission since 2002 and aims to promote sustainable modes of transport and create a more pleasant and healthier city for life. This year, you can look forward to rides on historic means of transport (trains, buses and trams) or visit the open Museum of Public Transport.

A free mobile bike service will also be available; you'll be able find it every day at two locations in Prague. Snídaně na peróně (Breakfast on the platform) will be served at four Prague railway stations. The professional public will be able to participate in various conferences on the topic of clean mobility or ecological city logistics.

Hollywood stars protest

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Today on social networks: boredome galore! Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashton Kutcher, Sascha Baron Cohen, Jennifer Lawrence and dozens of other famous personalities announced that they would freeze their social media accounts for the whole day to protest against the spread of "hate, propaganda and misinformation."

"Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy,"

said Kim Kardashian West. The question remains, will the 24-hour protest be of any use?!

That's all from us today. We wish you a beautiful day and don't forget to pat yourselves on the back for everything you've achieved today. We're sure you'll find plenty of reasons! Even Albert Einstein knew that:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Byt na pronájem - Praha 1 - Nové město - 96m, Praha 1

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